Shepherding Ideas Into Action

Welcome to Trep Talk! Trep Talk features some of our city’s compelling entrepreneurs who are boldly building what is uniquely Memphis. The spotlight series is curated by Elizabeth Lemmonds, Director of Talent Programs for the EPIcenter.

Summer in Memphis is accelerator season, when bio/tech startup companies with high growth potential (you know, like world domination) engage in rigorous three month programs of business building curriculum, mentors and seed investment. One of Memphis’ most exciting accelerators is Zero to 510, run by Bioworks and focused on medical device companies.

I first learned of SweetBio at the 2015 Memphis Demo Day last August, and was immediately… smitten. They had been accepted into Y Combinator in Silicon Valley but elected to be part of Zero to 510 here in Memphis, TN because of the program’s unique focus. I won’t steal their thunder below by giving anything away about their product (but, MAN, I love it). But I will add that their team is also unique in that Isaac Isaac Rodriguez and Kayla Rodriguez are brother and sister; also Marsalas Whitaker is a native Tennessean and serial entrepreneur. Bonus: Isaac caught the bug for entrepreneurship as he was a postdoctoral fellow in bio-medical engineering at the University of Memphis!

Finally, I’m not sure that you could find a more wonderful, hardworking, passionate and fun team of co-founders. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Give us your elevator pitch! What sets you apart? Sweetbio Inc. is a biomedical startup that recently raised over $1M and is revolutionizing healing, starting in dentistry. Our first entry into the market is a patent-pending dissolvable membrane used in dental surgeries, such as a socket preservation, that leverages our “sweet” ingredient – honey. While medical grade honey is used in hospitals today to treat burns and ulcers, we are the first company to leverage this naturally antibacterial and wound-healing ingredient in oral surgeries.

Kayla, what – or who – was your inspiration? My inspiration is my grandmother – Iluminada (Lumy) Rodriguez. At 19, she left her two children in Puerto Rico to come to New York and start building a better life for her family. After working for 6 months in sewing factories, she made enough to bring her two little boys over as they strove to live for the American dream. She worked hard. Really hard. But she also worked smart and at a young age, she embodied the entrepreneurial spirit proving that passion, persistence, self awareness, and smart decisions can turn your life around.

After decades of building her American dream and then moving back to Puerto Rico, I am so proud that my grandmother owns one of the largest bridal stores in the Caribbean – Lumy’s Bridals. Relentless dedication, hard sacrifices, and unrelenting love – this woman is my inspiration. It is because of her, and all the incredible women in my family, that I am able to do what I do and it is my honor to take up their touch to live out the dreams they have enabled me to create.

Isaac, did you always know you were destined for entrepreneurship? If not, what lured you in? As a bio-medical engineer by trade, I did not immediately see myself in entrepreneurship because the traditional routes are either industry (product R&D) or academic (professor). After graduating with my PhD I was unsure what I wanted to do which is why I took a Postdoctoral Fellowship position at the University of Memphis that would expose me to academics, industry, and a large medical device community.

One day in 2013 my adviser, Dr. Gary Bowlin, asked me, “How do you feel about starting up a company?” This question is what sparked my entrepreneurial spirit because we had some technologies in the lab that were in a good stage to form a company around and commercialize them. The one that I moved forward with was the honey membrane that has now turned into SweetBio. After graduating an accelerator and running SweetBio for a year now, I feel that I am uniquely skilled with my scientific background combined with my newly acquired business knowledge. Everyone at SweetBio has been learning so much outside of their educational background and I think that is what makes entrepreneurship so unique.

What are the most rewarding parts of owning this business? Any unexpected benefits? An unexpected benefit of being part of SweetBio has been the invitations to share our story. Every time we do, whether it’s an article, participating on a panel, or one on one, something amazing happens. One prime example is when we participated in MEM2NASH with the Memphis Chamber and traveled to Nashville to meet with state representatives. At one point, we (a one year old company) were in a room with the Lt. Governor and Senator Mark Norris sharing our story. As we later discovered, us sharing our story along with the stories of others in the room (St. Jude, EPIcenter, etc.), made a significant difference in support for legislation positively impacting Memphis. We are honored have been a part of it.

Another example coming this month is the opportunity to share the story of our journey to FDA Clearance with the Packaging Consortium group at Christian Brothers University. This Consortium is a CBU initiative where they are gathering companies and industry specific professionals to discuss packaging regulations, innovations, and more. We are excited to tell our story at their meeting because we never know who we can help or who we meet that can help us.

What is your best piece of advice for those considering taking the entrepreneurial plunge? It’s going to take longer and cost more than you think, but being patient and learning from others are two ways to be prepared. We try and mitigate this by having as many conversations as possible with entrepreneurs, industry experts, mentors, etc. Everyone in Memphis has been so open to talking to us about their experiences (successes and failures) and as a result, we’ve learned best practices for our business.

Which local resources helped you the most when converting your bold idea into a solid business model? Participating in the ZeroTo510 Medical Device Incubator hosted by Bioworks was by far the launching pad for SweetBio. Although we had another accelerator opportunity in Silicon Valley, we chose Memphis because of the rich biotech expertise and of course, the southern hospitality. We also worked closely with StartCo and EPIcenter who supported and introduced us to like-minded entrepreneurs. Memphis has developed a dynamic entrepreneurial culture where everyone wants you to succeed and its gaining national awareness.

What additional resource/s would you like to see developed in Memphis, to help smooth the path for future entrepreneurs? As a biotech company that came out of the University of Memphis and located in the top medical device hub in the United States, we would like to see a shared space that is stocked with laboratory equipment (e.g. cell culture hood, incubators, pipettes, centrifuges, microscopes, mechanical testing devices, etc.) where companies like ours can rent space as needed to perform critical translational research once out of the University, but before commercialization.

Marsalas, I know this isn’t your first startup. What are your favorite ways to unwind? I survive the intense entrepreneurial lifestyle by having time to myself to relax my mind. Some things I like to do are workout, go on runs in Overton Park, watch MCAT tutorials, listen to Pierre de la Rue sipping some Tennessee Whiskey while sitting in a dark room, drawing, painting, play ball and star-gaze deep off in President’s Island.

What should be on every entrepreneur’s bookshelf? “Mindset” by Carol Dweck, PhD

Got any guilty pleasures you’re willing to share? After a long day of work we’ll take our drone for a spin at Shelby Farms Park close to sunset. We’re no drone experts, but we love technology, the outdoors, and having fun!

What are some of your own favorite local businesses and organizations?
* Phillip Ashley Chocolates – His product is delicious and unique and he is entrepreneurial role model.
* Gus’ Fried Chicken – One of SweetBio’s favorite restaurants!
* The New Memphis Institute – Their energy combined with their programs for people of all ages are shining a positive new light on Memphis to attract and retain talent.
* STS (Setting The Standard) Enterprises – Their passion and mentoring opportunities for local youth is making Memphis a better place.

Welcome to our bi-monthly contribution from The Bikesmith, Jim Steffen. Twice a month he’ll highlight a local bike enthusiast and get their perspective on riding in Memphis. Leave your nominations in the comments.

Is there any Memphis biker that has more heart than Gary Zyriek? Gary dug deep and rode over 400 miles in 24 hours for the St. Jude Ride. And if that wasn’t enough he was also the highest single fundraiser, raising more than $2800 for the St. Jude kids. I feel honored and inspired to know him and wish he weren’t so funny, so I that could have one thing that I am better at than he is.

First I need to ask, are you a cyborg? How does a person ride 400 miles in 24 hours?

There have been rumors about me being a cyborg, but nothing has been confirmed yet. However, I am known to walk around and set off metal detectors wherever I go, so it’s possible. A moderate amount of insanity is involved in doing a 24 hour race. To do this race solo you have to focus more on strategy, mental fortitude, and proper planning than absolute fitness. If you fuel and pace yourself properly you can ride forever, as long as you refuse to quit.

How do you train for something like the St. Jude Ride?

Although it may seem intimidating, training for a 24 hour race only requires 1-2 really long rides per week. I started training 12 weeks out from the event where my long ride started at 3 hours (57 miles). My longest ride 10 weeks later was 8 hours or about 150 miles.

I would say the hardest single week is where I had to stack a 6 hour Saturday ride against a 4 hour Sunday ride.

Otherwise, the rides followed a formula of “long ride Saturday; not so long Sunday.”

However, the longer rides were the ones that proved to be most fun because I plotted out maps to see just where I could explore. I took backroads to Grand Junction, TN (home of the National Bird Dog Museum), found out that Michigan City, MS only looks big on a map, and discovered that in some places the Tennessee-Mississippi state line is just a white stripe painted in the road. I made friends on the roadside and at gas stations from Moscow to Somerville. The adventures made me feel like a kid when they discover the freedom a bike offers.

I know you have an awesome cheering section. At the St. Jude Ride, I saw your wife hand you a bottle and you grab it without stopping. Does your family know you are a cyborg?

They don’t buy my cyborg claims. I’ve asked them to call me The Terminator for years but they only laugh at me.

You learn the tricks to saving energy such as grabbing bottles without slowing down. There is also “relieving” yourself off the bike but that requires a little more dexterity.

I had an incredible support team – my wife, Lisa. She’s a one-person army. She stayed awake with me the full 24 hours to make sure I was eating, drinking, and regularly changing into clean, dry clothes. She played the role of equipment manager, cheerleader, and food caterer. Without her support and encouragement, I would not even consider taking on this event!

You also were the highest single-participant fundraiser for the St. Jude Ride. How did you get interested in helping the kids of St. Jude?

One summer, during college, I rode nearly 4,000 miles across the United States – San Francisco, CA to Charleston, SC – to raise money and awareness for severely handicapped children. Riding for a cause is something that brings me tremendous happiness. I love Memphis and St. Jude is a significant part of what makes Memphis special. When Danny Thomas said “no child should die in the dawn of life”, that touched me. If there is anything I can do so that a child defeats cancer I will put everything I can into it.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to begin biking in Memphis and doesn’t know where to start?

The Memphis cycling community is a supportive and inclusive group. I point new riders to The Memphis Hightailers (Tulio Bertorini, president). They have a diverse group of riders, promote organized cycling events, and also have many group rides that are great for riders of all levels.

Josh Jacobs (fellow 24 hour rider and manager of Peddler Bike Shop – Southaven) loves to help cyclists. He leads MTB rides, trips to the Tanglefoot Trail, and has even started Tuesday/Thursday indoor trainer rides at the Southaven Peddler location. Ask him about the “disco lights intervals.”

Once you’re ready for some fast riding or trying your hand at racing you have to contact Dale Sanford or Bryant Funston with the BPC Cycling Team.

And finally, can you teach me how to ride a wheelie?

Absolutely! However, my wheelies are a tad unorthodox. I do mine over the front wheel and they usually end with a face plant. I’m getting a mountain bike so you’ll have lots of opportunities to witness this feat.

It’s difficult to put the memories of the Memphis Does Bowie benefit into words, but I am going to try.

As organizer of the event, which benefited St. Jude, I was already excited at the prospect of seventy-five musicians from eighteen bands coming together for a night of great music. The anticipation didn’t even come close to matching the reality of beautiful performances and collaboration. Backstage, musicians rehearsed Bowie songs, met, encouraged one another, talked, laughed, and ate donated Central BBQ while drinking off the kegs Cash Saver generously provided. The crowd settled in around 6pm as Another Green World hit the stage and kicked off the night with a three song set. That was the beginning of a six hour night of tribute that included over seventy Bowie songs.

Later in the night, Richard James convulsed on the ground to “John, I’m Only Dancing,” looking upwards at Anne Schorr as the thumped the bass. Mick Parrish and The Incredible Hook brought the crowd to tears with an “Under Pressure” that I believe actually gave some people “one more chance.” Jack Oblivian barked out “Diamond Dogs” to an enthused crowd of rockers. During his set, possibly one of my favorite moments of the night erupted as John Whittemore sang lead for the first time ever on “Oh You Pretty Things.”

From the opening line to the final chorus, all the backstage musicians sang along and swayed as the energy of Minglewood Hall became highly electric. During my own band’s set, my friend Jacob Church sang “Let’s Dance” as 1200 people did just that and the excitement backstage flowed onto the stage as musicians from other bands joined the dancers, percussionists, and background singers that already had the stage space at near capacity. Following that, Clay Otis and Luke White performed a finale set of seven songs featuring many from Bowie’s “Low” album. The image and sound of Clay and Luke’s contrasting but complementary voices still rings in my head. The final song of their set, “All the Young Dudes” culminated in every single musician joining the stage and singing along. Then came the cherry on the sundae, “Heroes,” once again performed by everyone involved, but with the added element of eager audience members jumping onto the stage from the floor. I truly believe that the grand finale featured the largest group of Memphis musicians ever assembled on one stage at one time. It was as if not a single one of us could believe what was going on. We may have been winging the song, not sure who was singing what verse, dancing and smiling even more than the audience, but we were definitely having the time of our lives.

From Tiffany Harmon bringing an intimate vibe with her performance to The Sheiks ripping through “Rebel, Rebel” with fury; from Crockett Hall singing “Five Years” along with the entire audience, to Graham Burks putting on a one man Bowie remix extravaganza; from Zigadoo Moneyclips laying down an epic “Fame,” to Electric Eye rocking their set with supreme guitar talent including Paul Taylor; from Super Witch bringing people to their feet and fists in the air to Staniel Brown vocalizing “Rock and Roll Suicide” with ease; from Chris Johnson and crew rocking “Suffragette City” to the Subtractions gripping the night with “Boys Keep Swinging” with guest vocals from Lorette Velvette; from Brian Sharpe and Co. slaying “Changes” while an old and young man danced side by side to Jesse Davis singing while winning the night with his stunningly accurate Bowie style, the night was a blast that will always be remembered as a night that changed a lot in town.

From changing the spirit of the local music scene to changing the lives of children with nearly $20,000 raised, the David Bowie Tribute benefit for St. Jude was one for the ages.

*****

Graham Winchester is a Memphis musician who plays w/ The Sheiks, Jack Oblivian, Devil Train, The Maitre D’s, and solo.